Who are This Year’s Models in Lexington? Model Citizens? Visionaries? Innovators? Big Thinkers who are also long on Action? Every year, Ace celebrates “This Year’s Models” with a special year-end Annual Edition (on stands now). All year long, the readers nominate Lexingtonians who have made a difference in making Lexington a better place to live.
This year’s class includes an artist bent on revitalization, an athlete, a couple very different bloggers, hip-hop moguls, and a bike-ridin’ cowboy.
SHANE TEDDER: Bike Ridin’ Cowboy
by Sally Henkel
I first learned about a bike-powered smoothie on my way home on Second Street, when Shane and his wife Jarah also used to live on Second Street. We stopped to say hey to Shane who was working diligently in his navy apron on his new toy: The smoothie bike. I learned three things that day:
1. what a smoothie bike is
2. what a Kentucky Fizz is
3. and just how bad ass Shane Tedder is.
The following Summer I helped with the premier of the Berry Pedalers at the Lexington Farmers Market. Shane chopped the fruit; all the while inventing new smoothies and smoothie names. I think that my favorite was the Funky Monkey, this contained some kind of mocha concoction and frozen banana. Shane kept the business in line, while Jarah kept Shane in line. I did my internship with Shane in the spring of 2010 at UK. I decided to do this because of my interest in sustainability, but also because I knew how much I would benefit from working with Shane. I have never in my life met someone so passionate about what they do, not to mention with an incredible drive. It was interesting to get a behind the scenes look at the progress a Sustainable Lexington is making. Shane is all about having fun, but at the same time getting the job done right. Anything that he even slightly puts his mind to, he accomplishes and makes it look easy. He doesn’t sugar coat anything, which I find extremely refreshing. He is the one who says what everyone it too afraid to say. Shane would always bring the good to the bad– even when retrieving the recycling from all of the UK dormitories. Shane has inspired me and at the same time I think that it’s fair to say that Shane has had a tremendous influence on the Lexington community. Shane is the Bike ridin cowboy of Lexington.”
Debra Hensley adds, “It was INSTANT love, when I met Shane Tedder. From building bike racks with old bicycle parts to designing and building ‘PRESTO! The People Powered Piano Bike’ to creating bicycle powered blenders that make smoothies to building recycled bicycles for people in need with his latest project Broke Spoke; well, he can do anything. He does not take NO for an answer and when he needs help; he has a small army of gifted friends who are equally resourceful, passionate and community – minded.”
His wife says, “Shane has endless hope and love for his community, constantly generating ideas and bringing them into fruition. Shane spent his early adult years wandering around the country. A turning point in his life was reading works by Wendell Berry, specifically the message that ‘community doesn’t prosper when all who called it ‘home’ leave for better places.’ Shane realized then that he wanted to devote his work to giving Kentucky the creativity and progress that it deserves. He frequently says, ‘I thought of that while riding my bicycle,’ quoting who other than Albert Einstein. Rain, snow, ice, extreme heat, Shane is on his bike and heading to his job as the University of Kentucky’s very first Sustainability Coordinator.
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Model Music: Hop Hop Records, Matt Duncan, Idiot Glee
